Hi! I am Lee Rosen with Rosen Law Firm. Thanks for watching today. I would like to suggest five things you should do today, right now if divorce is eminent .These are not things to think about or to add to your to-do list, these are the things you should do right now, literally walk away when we are finished and go do these things. Let's get started.
First of all, copy all of your financial documents. I want you to go through your house and gather everything you can find, tax returns, credit card statements, 401 case statement, mortgage document, you name it, all of that stuff that's filed away in a file drawer somewhere or boxed up in the attic whatever it is, go ahead and copy it.
It's much better to copy too much rather than too little. Get it copied, even if it takes all day. When in doubt, copy it. Once you have got all the copies made, now what do you do with that pile of stuff, put it somewhere safe. Safe does not mean at your office. Things get found there. Safe means at your lawyer's office or at a friend's house. Put it somewhere where it won't be found by your spouse. Don't hide things in the house. They always get discovered and it only makes things worst.
Second thing to do today, video the contents of your house, go and get a camcorder, borrow one, maybe you have one and move slowly from room to room throughout the house video everything. Get the art on the walls, then knickknacks on the shelves, the furniture, the insides of drawers, get the books on the book shelves, video tape everything
Don't forget the kitchen drawers, the kitchen cabinets. Don't forget the attic, get the basement, get everything on video. Narrate as you move around, describe what it is that you are seeing, get it all. There may come a time when you are not able to go back into that house and it's really easy to forget what was there when you left. Get it all on video.
The third thing to do today; make an appointment with a lawyer. It will take you about 15 minutes to get on the phone and setup a meeting Even if you aren't sure that you are going to hire an attorney, it's really smart to go in for a consultation and to be sure that you understand your rights. If you don't know who to see, then come see us. If we don't serve your area, then check our site at rosen.com and go visit one of the lawyers we recommend. I am not telling you to hire a lawyer. I am telling you to make an appointment to go and learn what your rights are, that really is important.
Fourth thing to do today; make an appointment with a counselor. You are about to make some really big decisions. Unfortunately, you are probably having to make decisions while being seriously off your game. Divorce is tough, it knocks everybody for a loop. Go and get a counselor and that will help you to make better decisions. It's that simple. It pays for itself because your decisions will be so much better and I will tell you it feels good to have a professional listen to you and help you. I have been watching people go through divorce for 20 years and I can promise you this, if you have a counselor you will come out of this much better off than you will, if you don't have counselor.
Fifth, last thing to do today; put some cash away, put some money in a place where you will be able to get it. You may want to move a bit of cash from a joint account or you may want to get a cash advance on a credit card or an equity line. You may be in need of cash to pay your bills or to hire an attorney. The cash maybe unavailable if you and your spouse end up closing your accounts in a hurry. Put some cash in a safe place so that you will have it if you need it in an emergency.
These five suggestions are important, probably the most important things you can do today to be safe as you move things forward. Go do them. Good Luck! I am Lee Rosen for the Rosen Law Firm.
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